Running in the Rain

If you have never run in the rain, you must — as soon as possible.

I was skeptical of Dave’s claim that few things live up to the joy of running in the rain — or even the mud — but it’s true.  I was wet; I didn’t care.  Raindrops misted my face; I wasn’t annoyed.  As my feet splashed the first shallow puddles, I was radiating.  Grey clouds cast shadows on the asphalt & grit; I felt empowered & liberated, ready to push out 8 insane intervals (I love intervals; I think they are fun but insane/hard): 30-second full on sprint + 1-minute moderate jog = 1 interval.  After my final interval, I was exhausted but not ready to leave the rain; so I sprinted one more minute, fighting to increase speed until the end.

Rain is Refreshing.

I felt empowered by the elements to make this run count, but you could always just go out, splash & have fun.  I still think you should push yourself harder than you think you are capable.  Consider it a dare.

~

Splintless

I have been cringing at the weather warnings all week, so I did not want to bike to work yesterday.  I desperately needed a mid-day break though & wanted to try a yoga class that had come highly recommended.

Fortunately I brought my new (trail) running shoes & decided to run the 2.5-mile jaunt to FACW to the most intense Ashtanga flow class I have ever taken.  I liked it though!  So much so, I went again today for a mid-morning break with a co-worker.

I felt worked & got in a great sweat yesterday afternoon…but still had to run back to the studio.  Even though I still felt ok, I knew it wasn’t the smartest thing to run that many miles without building up to it first, so I did force myself to walk part of the way back.  I love these shoes by the way.  Should I tell you more about them?  Maybe I’ll work on a review over the weekend.

I gently stretched my calves repeatedly & even iced them for a few minutes after climbing last night for good measure.

Today: no shin splints. 🙂

Phew.

Did you catch we also bouldered last night?  I was so drained after my run & yoga, I thought I would just spot Dave.  My lunch bowl of quinoa, basil & toasted pine nuts was delicious but didn’t fill me at all.  After chomping down a Fruition bar, I had just enough of an energy burst to pull on a few of my projects.  What can I say?  I guess Spring has me revved up to be ACTIVE!

However, face-pelting hail & a cruel headwind during the bike ride in this morning de-revved me a bit.  Looks like this weekend will be all about gym workouts & Spring Cleaning!

~

Is the weather as fickle where you are as it is here?  What are your weekend plans?